He doesn’t have a runner in the race everyone wants to win but trainer David Hall looks well placed to have an impact on Sunday’s BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) undercard as he looks to continue his impressive run of form at Sha Tin.

Victorious at each of the past five Sha Tin meetings, Hall has a presence in every race bar the weekend’s feature and takes aim at the Class One Rapper Dragon Handicap (1,200m) with his two best sprinters – Invincible Sage and Flying Ace.

After crossing the line half a length ahead of Flying Ace in midfield behind Howdeepisyourlove in a 1,200m Class Two contest on February 12, Invincible Sage returned to his preferred 1,000m trip to notch a luckless second behind Nervous Witness earlier this month.

While Invincible Sage has three wins and a Group Three placing down the Sha Tin straight, Hall is confident the four-year-old can prove equally effective over six furlongs.

“I don’t think he’s run a bad race. He ran second to Whizz Kid down the straight that day when the tempo wasn’t suitable and he got pretty well held up the last time he went around,” Hall said.

“He’s a very honest horse every time he goes out there and the handicap race looks good for him.

“I’ve never been shy of the 1,200m, it’s just that he was so good down the straight that we kept persevering with it. As long as he can have an economical run, the distance should be fine for him.

“I don’t think the 1,200m is an issue but obviously any race at that level, if you do too much work it can tell on you a little bit, but if he has the right sort of run I think the distance is fine for him.”

While Blake Shinn jumps aboard Invincible Sage after the sprinter’s 122-pound impost ruled out regular rider Hugh Bowman, Zac Purton sticks with Flying Ace.

Flying Ace’s season has had just about everything but a win, with three double-figure barriers, four placings and a string of torrid runs to go with a nice fifth in his Group One debut.

“It’s frustrating that he hasn’t got one or two more in the locker. He hasn’t won a Class Two race and he’s running around in these sort of races, which tells you how unlucky he’s been,” Hall said of Flying Ace, who won five of his first eight starts but hasn’t tasted success since June last year.

Yung family’s rich HK Derby history just one of many layers to Sunday’s feature

“He ran a very good race in the Group One then he was a bit disappointing and probably a bit flat [in Class Two] the other day. Maybe the Group One race took a bit out of him, but we sent him up to Conghua and he seems to have freshened up well.

“He stretched his legs and strode out well in a trial there on Monday and he comes back to Sha Tin where he can run really well.”

The pair, who hold entries for next month’s Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m), resume hostilities with Howdeepisyourlove in a race also featuring Courier Wonder, Duke Wai, Nervous Witness and Packing Treadmill, with Invincible Sage drawing barrier four and Flying Ace jumping from gate five.